The Lions Den
by SaphireDolphin
Summary: What happens when 1st year Gryffindors cause an accident in the common room? New temporary housing, resulting in Harry, Ron, and Hermione staying with Professor McGonogall in her quarters. Inspired by A Lioness and Her Cubs, by hermionewiz27. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling
1. Chapter 1

_I got the idea for this story from A Lioness and Her Cubs, by hermionewiz27_

"Can you believe all this homework we have to do?!" Ron complained as he, Harry, and Hermione made their way into the common room.

"It's not so bad Ronald," Hermione countered. "If you begin now and follow the schedule I just lined out, you'll be fine. Look, I even scheduled you some free time."

"Oh, brilliant…" Ron said sarcastically. "Scheduled free time- I can't wait."

Harry remained silent. He had learned early on to never get in-between Ron and Hermione when they were having one of their disagreements. Instead, he began looking around the common room to see what everyone else was doing. It looked like most of the third years and above were in Hogsemade, which meant that he and his classmates could have the common room to themselves for the day. Lavendar and Parvati were huddled together in one part of the common room, reading what appeared to be _Witch Weekly_. The second years were scattered around- some were playing gobstones and wizards chess, while a few others were working on their own homework assignments.

Over in another part of the common room, Neville had taken up a table and had begun working on a potion assignment. Neville was terrible at potions- yesterday was so bad that Professor Snape had assigned him an extra assignment: complete the potion over the weekend. The resulting potion would then be tested on a random student of Snape's discretion. (Harry was sure that Snape would choose him.) Seamus and Dean sat next to Neville, practicing spells for what appeared to be Charms class…although Harry wasn't quite sure.

Harry turned his attention back to Ron and Hermione.

"Hermione, you just don't get it. Weekends aren't meant to be doing homework. They're meant for us to relax and have fun!" As Ron was talking, he had backed up and proceeded throw his arms out to emphasize the word fun. The result was that during the last sentence, he bumped into Seamus, who sent his spell straight into Neville's cauldron.

Immediately the cauldron began bubbling and dark green smoke began to form. Within seconds, the smoke had covered half the common room and everyone was making a mad dash to the exit. The students huddled together outside the Fat Lady, unsure of what to do next. Fortunately, at that moment, Professor McGonogall came rushing up the steps.

"Ms. Granger," she called. "What on earth happened in there?"

"You see Professor McGonogall," Hermione began. "Neville was working on a potion and Seamus was working on a charm, when _someone_ (she stared daggers at Ron), bumped into Seamus, who ended up shooting his spell into Neville's cauldron. After that, the common room immediately began filling up with smoke so we did our best to evacuate."

"I see…", said Professor McGonogall. "Mr. Longbottom!" Neville rushed forward. "Pray-tell, what exactly were you concocting before Mr. Finnigan accidentally shot his spell into your cauldron?"

"A hiccup potion ma'am."

"A hiccup potion?! Are you aware, Mr. Longbottom, that a hiccup potion is supposed to be clear? Not dark green. I will need to go in and assess the damage. In the mean time, please describe to Ms. Granger exactly what steps you had followed up to the point in time where the potion was interrupted."

Professor McGonogall then promptly turned towards the Fat Lady, cast a silent bubble head charm on herself, and proceeded to march into the common room. She came out ten minutes later and immediately conferred with Ms. Granger to figure out what Neville had added to cause the potion to turn dark green. When she finished, Professor McGonogall had a grave look on her face.

"All Gryffindors report to the Great Hall. No students, I repeat, NO STUDENTS, are to set foot anywhere near the Gryffindor tower for the time being. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, Professor," everyone responded in unison. As the students turned towards the great hall, Professor McGonogall sent a patrons to Albus Dumbledore and the other 3 heads of houses, telling them to meet her in the staff room immediately.

"Gryffindor house is uninhabitable at the moment," Professor McGonogall stated. "It appears that the combination of an unknown spell…Yes Severus, I asked Mr. Finnigan about the spell. He claims not to have remembered which one was said at the moment of the accident. As I was saying, the combination of the unknown spell with Mr. Longbottom's potion caused a toxic gas to fill the tower. I believe the toxicity is due to the addition of Asphodel instead of Armadillo Bile, as the instructions stated. Regardless, we will need to find a place for the students to sleep for the time being. For all we know, this change could be for the remainder of the year. All students are currently residing in the great hall and Mr. Filch is under strict orders to send any Gryffindor students coming from Hogsemade straight to the Great Hall as well. Obviously they cannot stay in the Hall itself for several nights, so we will need to come up with a solution. Are there any ideas?"

"We do have a little bit of extra space in most of the common rooms. I'm sure we can squeeze in some extra beds and have students sleep in there," suggested Professor Sprout.

Professor Flitwick nodded. Professor Snape, however, snorted. "I highly doubt your Gryffindors would feel comfortable in Slytherin house, nor do I feel like my Slytherins would be anymore accommodating."

Professor McGonogall shook her head. Sad as that fact was, Severus did have a point. "I agree Severus. But Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw would certainly be good options, if you're sure Pomona and Fillius?" They nodded.

"Good. Then most students should fit comfortably if we split them up into their corresponding dormitories. My only concern is the first years. As you all know, this was the largest class we received and I don't believe we will have enough space in the first year dormitories for them"

Pomona, Severus, and Fillius all agreed. Albus had remained quiet throughout this meeting, thinking silently instead about the possible options. Now he finally decided to chime in. "Might I suggest, allowing these unplaced students to stay with professors. Each suite contains a guest room, which I'm sure could comfortably fit up to three students, if need be."

The other professors paused. Allow students to live in their own quarters? Professor McGonogall thought about it. Albus was right- each of their suites did contain a guest room and it seemed only fair to set an example. After all, they were asking all of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to open their common rooms and dormitories as well.

"You're right Albus," she concluded. "If professors are amenable to having students stay with them for the time being, then we should set an example and take in some of the first years." "Wonderful!" said Albus. "Professor McGonogall will go around and speak to the other professors. She and I can then meet to determine who will go where. Severus, I assume you will not be willing to host any Gryffindors?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Snape sniffed, "You assume correctly, headmaster."

"What about you Pomona? Fillius?" "Of course Albus," squeaked Flitwick.

"I would be delighted," said Sprout immediately following Flitwick.

Twenty minutes later, Minerva sat down in the Headmasters office, staring at the list of willing professors she had found. It looked as follows:

-Fillius Flitwick

-Pomona Sprout

-Sybill Trelawney

-Minerva McGonogall

She was actually quite surprised that Sybill had volunteered. She was sure she was going to say no. Now she simply hoped that whichever students got placed with her would not fall into her false dramatizations and delusions.

Professor Dumbeldore stared at the list and then smiled. "Well Minerva," he began. "This looks like it should be easy enough to place the remaining 10 students. Who do you think should go with Fillius?"

Minerva pondered for a minute. "Eloise Midgen and Fay Dunbar appear to be rather adept at charms. Perhaps they would enjoy staying with him. I'm sure if they ask, Fillius would be more than happy to teach them some new charms on the side as well."

"Wonderful," exclaimed Professor Dumbledore. "And what about with Pomona?" Suddenly Minerva saw the picture clearly forming in her head.

"Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom would do well there. Pomona will be firm with Mr. Finnigan and Mr. Thomas, not allowing any nonsense. As for Mr. Longbottom… I heard he's wonderful at Herbology and lord knows the boy could use a confidence booster after dealing with Severus. Now, for Sybill, I believe Lavendar Brown and Parvati Patel will do nicely. They seem like the type of girls who are gullible enough to put up with her act…let's just hope they have enough common sense to not believe everything she says"

Minerva paused. She knew that her next suggestion would be a little out there, but she figured she may as well try and see what Albus would say. Ms. Granger reminded her so much of herself as a student, while the boys were very much like James Potter and Sirius Black. And while Minerva would never admit it out loud, they had formed a special place in her heart. She continued where she left off.

"As for me, what about Hermione Granger with Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter. They have all grown so close and I'm sure Ms. Granger would not feel comfortable being so far away from them. As you remember, I have an additional room that once belonged to my nephew, Robert, so Hermione can have her own room as well." This was it. She saw Albus close his eyes and think for a minute. Then he opened them and smiled.

"Well Minerva, that sounds like a well thought-out plan. I don't see why anyone should have a problem. Please let the other staff members know who will be staying with them so they can begin preparing the rooms. We will tell the students shortly."


	2. Chapter 2

After telling the other staff members, all of whom seemed very excited about their new first year wards, Minerva set out to examine her own guest room and figure out how to prepare it for her own three students. She had never gotten around to fixing up the guest room since nobody really came to visit her besides her nephew. The first thing she would need would be beds. Perhaps bunk beds for the boys?

She had a room made for her nephew, Robert, who used to visit her on holidays. Recently, however, Robert had married and his wife was currently expecting a child any day now. The time for Robert visiting his favorite aunt were now in the past. There wasn't any reason why Minerva couldn't transfigure Robert's old room into a room for Hermione and allow the boys to have the guest room.

With that decided, Minerva went back to figuring out how to design the boys' room. Twin beds on either side then, with desks against the wall. She decided that each boy should have a small bookshelf, although Minerva was sure no books would ever actually touch that shelf. Finally, she set about actually decorating the room. She chose a red duvet, for each of the beds, and a beige/tan color for the walls. Last, but not least, she flipped open a _Quidditch Monthly_ magazine and transfigured some quidditch posters around the wall. After all, she wanted it to feel homey to them.

Next, Minerva went to Robert's, now Hermione's, new room. Truth be told, she had always wanted a daughter, but the timing just never worked out. She knew exactly how she would have decorated it though. Hermione, like Minerva, was not much into material possessions. Instead, Minerva transfigured a box into a large bookcase that covered one wall. Then she tidied up the desk, making sure there was plenty of room for her to spread her books out when studying. Last, but not least, she fixed the bed. While the bed itself was fine, she changed the comforter to a soft white and transfigured the walls to a lavender color.

After fixing up her suite, Minerva marched out of her quarters and down to the great hall, where her Gryffindors were waiting to find out where they would be going.

As she expected, most of her students sat together in the great hall, unsure of what to do or what to expect. She gathered all of them so that they could hear and began.

"After carefully assessing the damage, we have decided that, for the moment, Gryffindor house is uninhabitable. As a result, we have come up with alternate living arrangements until such a time, where, you will be able to move back in to your original quarters. I was able to seal off the dormitories before the smoke reached it so none of your belongings have been damaged. We will have house elves apparate directly into your dormitory and retrieve your belongings. Your new rooming situation will be as follows:"

"All second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh year students will share the respective dormitories with either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. If you go over to professor Flitwick in the right corner, he will read off who is in which house." The majority of the students made their way over to Professor Flitwick, while the first years remained standing, looking around at each other with confused faces.

"As for you all," said professor McGonogall, looking around at all the first years huddled around her. "This is the largest class we've seen here at Hogwarts in quite some time. As a result, we are unable to fit all of you in the other two dormitories. Instead, various Hogwarts professors have graciously agreed to host you in their own quarters.

"Now, there is to be no funny business. If I find out that you have been behaving as mischievous, miscreant misfits then you will be out of here faster than you can say quidditch. Do I make myself understood?" The first years gulped. "Yes, professor" they said. "Wonderful. Now, when I read your housing assignment, please find your assigned professor. Remember, you are representing Gryffindor. I expect to hear wonderful things from each of you."

"Ms. Patel and Ms. Brown, you will be with Professor Trelawney. She is the professor (Professor McGonogall sniffed at this word) with the glasses. Mind you, do not believe everything she tells you." Lavendar and Parvati exchanged glances, then shrugged and went over to introduce themselves to Professor Trelawney.

"Mr. Finnigan, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Longbottom, you three will be with Professor Sprout." Neville looked gleeful at the opportunity to stay with his favorite professor. Minerva smiled. Perhaps this would be good for the boy. She just hoped Pomona would be able to handle Mr. Finnigan in case he got out of hand.

"Ms. Dunbar and Ms. Midgen, you two shall go with Professor Flitwick." The two girls grinned at each other and sped over to Professor Flitwick.

Hermione raised her hand. "Excuse me Professor McGonogall? I believe you forgot about me…where will I be going?" "Nonsense Ms. Granger. As for you remaining three," she looked at the trio of friends standing before her. "You three shall go with me." Harry and Ron glanced at each other and gulped. How were they supposed to continue keeping an eye on Snape when they were right under Professor McGonogall's nose the whole time…Not to mention, Hermione would not be the only one nagging them about their homework now. Hermione seemed to have a similar thought and had a large smirk across her face.

"This is the most direct path to my quarters. I expect that the password I'm about to share remain between you three. Nobody else is allowed in or out without my say so, do you understand?" McGonogall stated to them.

"Yes ma'am," they all said politely. Minerva stopped in front of a painting with a beautiful forest. The sun soaked through the trees and created a wonderful, mystical feeling. In the center of the forest, stood a lion.

'This looks like something you would find in _The Chronicles of Narnia,_ ' Hermione thought to herself. That was one of her favorite books. Harry and Ron looked around. They were somewhere on the fourth floor, but they had never explored this part of the castle before. It did seem easy enough to get from there to the great hall though.

" _Fortitudo"_ Professor McGonogall said clearly. The lion nodded and slowly opened, revealing a den. Professor McGongall stepped through and beckoned to the three friends, who suddenly felt hesitant. They entered and looked around.

The first thing Hermione noticed were the books. There were so many- it seemed to take up the entire wall! Perhaps Professor McGonogall would let her read some of them at a later time. The walls were a creamed colored and the room was filled with comfortable-looking, dark green couches and arm chairs. There was a fire place against one wall and a mantel above it, containing beautiful trinkets and photographs. There were tartan throw pillows along the couches as well as a beautiful cream colored rug in the middle that matched the walls.

"This is the living room area. You are welcome to spend time and do your work here if you so choose. Please feel free to browse through the books as well, though I ask that you let me know if you plan on borrowing any. To your right is the kitchen area. Should you need anything to eat or drink you are welcome to use it, but I expect to see all three of you in the Great Hall for meal times."

She then led them down the hallway and opened a door to the left. "This is the boys room. You should have everything you need, but if not, please let me know." The boys jaws had dropped when they saw the quidditch posters and they ran into the room. Unbeknownst to McGonogall, that room was better than either of their bedrooms outside of Hogwarts. "I will leave you boys to get set up and explore while I show Ms. Granger to her room. The bathroom is on your left. Be out in the living room at 5:00 and we will walk down to dinner together."

She closed the door and proceeded to turn to the doors on the right side of the hallway. "Now Ms. Granger, you will have your own room, but we will be sharing a bathroom. One side of the bathroom connects to your room, while the other side of the bathroom connects to my own.

Hermione smiled. "Of course Professor McGonogall. Are you sure you would be willing to share a bathroom with me? After all, I should warn you, my hair is very thick and so much of it just ends up everywhere."

Minerva smiled back. "I share that same problem. Now then, come look at your bedroom. She opened the door to Hermione's room and allowed her to look around. Hermione absolutely loved the bookcase and immediately began unpacking all her belongings that had already been brought down. Minerva began to walk through the bathroom to her own room. "Hermione, if you need anything, please feel free to come through to my room. I keep the door to the bathroom unlocked in case of emergency"

"Thank you very much Professor McGonogall. For everything. I am sure that this all must be very stressful for you to deal with." Minerva smiled, glad that Hermione Granger had ended up staying with her. It had been stressful, but she was the only student to acknowledge it.


	3. Chapter 3

Upon reaching her room, Minerva sent a patronus out to Pomona and Fillius and received one from each of them in return. Both said that her Gryffindors had settled in nicely and that there were no issues. She decided not to send a patronus to Sybill- she would just wait until dinner. If Ms. Brown and Ms. Patel were not there, _then_ she would have cause for concern.

After glancing at her clock, she saw that she still had 30 minutes until dinner. She decided to head back to the den area and put on a pot of tea. Hopefully she could finish grading the 4th year transfiguration essays before dinner. As she sat down and began grading, she heard a door open and close, followed by a polite knock at the guest room.

She smiled. She was glad that Ms. Granger would still be able to be with her best friends. She had been worried about her at the beginning of the year, but after the troll incident, those three seemed inseparable.

Meanwhile, in the boys' room, Ron was grinning ear to ear while Harry was still thinking about Snape.

"How do you think we can continue watching Snape?" Harry moaned.

Last month they had discovered that Nicholas Flamel was the only known maker of the sorcerers stone. He had entrusted it to Dumbledore and, as Hagrid told them, it was being guarded by several enchantments. Unfortunately, Harry was sure Snape was trying to steal it. Harry had heard as much when he followed Snape after the final quidditch match and heard him threatening Quirrel. As such, they had been trying to keep an extra close eye on Snape and monitor the third floor corridor as much as possible.

"I've been thinking Harry," Hermione said. "This could be the best place for us. Professor McGonogall will protect everyone and if there's a problem, she can help us."

"Maybe…" said Ron. "On a different note, did you see the chess set McGonogall had by the couch. It looks like the best wizards chess set I've seen!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Leave it to boys to focus on games when they were surrounded by so many other great opportunities.

"Well _I'm_ not going to sit around. Just because we're someplace different, does not mean that our homework assignments have changed. If you need me, I'll be doing potions. And don't expect any help from me when you finally get around to doing the essay. Goodbye." And with that, Hermione walked out of the room, grabbed her book bag, and headed to the living room.

"Oh! Hello Professor McGonogall, may I join you?" Hermione asked shyly, noticing her Professor sitting on the couch, working.

"Of course." Minerva moved over a bit on the couch, but Hermione sat on the floor with her back up against the couch instead. Minerva smiled, proud of the girl for continuing her studies, despite the craziness of the afternoon.

"Would you like some tea? I've just prepared some. It's peppermint."

"That would be wonderful," said Hermione with a smile. She began pulling out her potions book and essay while Minerva went to pour another cup.

They soon settled into a nice routine, with Minerva grading and Hermione writing, both sipping on their tea. Before they knew it, Ron and Harry had come to join them and Minerva checked the time. It was 5:00 already. She gathered up her essays, marking where she had left off, while Hermione packed her things back up.

In the great hall, all the Gryffindors gathered together to discuss their new living situation.

"Who set off that gas combination again?" Fred Weasley asked grinning. Neville blushed. "Sorry"

"Don't be," chimed in George. "This is great! We're staying with the Hufflepuffs- they're pretty cool." "Yea," said Fred. "And what's even better is Percy's staying with the Ravenclaws, so we don't even have to deal with him."

"Besides," George added, "It's you blokes we feel sorry for. Having to live with the professors like that…I can't even imagine living with Sprout or McGonogall….or even worse: Snape."

Hermione, who had been listening while she ate, chimed in.

"Actually, nobody is living with Professor Snape. And living with Professor McGonogall seems like it will be wonderful. She went out of her way to keep me, Harry, and Ron together, plus she transfigured both our rooms to make it more home like. She also has a brilliant collection of books, which she said we could borrow!" Hermione squealed with excitement on that last statement.

Fred and George looked at Ron, surprised at how anyone could actually be happy about living with a professor. Ron, just glanced up and shrugged, as if to say it could be worse.

Meanwhile, Minerva watched from the staff table to see how her Gryffindors were doing.

Seamus and Dean were working on trying to cheer Neville up, who she guessed was worried about the trouble he was going to get into when his Gran found out about the potion accident.

Meanwhile, Lavendar and Parvati were whispering to each other and glancing around the table as if they knew secrets that other people didn't. Minerva rolled her eyes. This could only be Sybill's handy work. At least Faye and Eloise seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were talking to some Gryffindor 2nd years they had befriended earlier on in the school year.

Finally, she looked over to her own three new charges. Hermione was listening to Percy Weasley explain what the Ravenclaw common room was like, while Harry and Ron seemed to be joking around with the Weasley twins. She hoped that the twins wouldn't cause too much trouble while they were staying with the Hufflepuffs. Truthfully, she was glad she wouldn't have to worry about them for the foreseeable future, although she predicted she'd miss them later on. Both Fillius and Pomona insisted on taking care of the older Gryffindors staying with the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. They had said she had enough to worry about with trying to fix the Gryffindor tower.

After dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Minerva back to their new quarters. They were whispering, but they did not realize her animagus traits allowed her to hear much better than the average person.

"I can't believe you're still going on about the homework assignments!" Ron whined. "After the day we've had, surely the professors will cancel the assignments…or at least give us more time!" "I doubt it," Harry said, agreeing with Hermione. "They didn't say anything today and we do still have class on Monday…" Ron groaned, defeated. "Fine," he said. "I'll do it tomorrow."

Minerva decided to pause and turn around. If she was going to be with them night and day, maybe she could teach Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley some better study habits. "Since we're going to be together for a while, perhaps tonight we can all spend some time together in the living room. The three of you can work on your homework while I spend some time grading." She glanced over at Mr. Weasley, who was glaring at a very smug-looking Hermione.

Once the three students were settled in and beginning their homework, she decided to make some hot chocolate. As she passed them the mugs, they all smiled at her. Ron took that moment to comment on her chess set. "That's a brilliant chess set, Professor." "Why thank you Mr. Weasley. I heard you are an excellent chess player yourself" Ron smiled. He wasn't used to receiving compliments. "Would you like to play?" Minerva asked him. She saw a look of surprise flash briefly in his eyes for a moment. Then an even bigger smile as Ron nodded.

Pretty soon, they had developed a routine. After dinner each night, everyone would sit out in the living room. Minerva would grade while Ron, Harry, and Hermione worked on their homework. Oftentimes, Minerva would help them. When they had finished, she would play chess with Ron and Harry. The three of them took turns playing each other. When Ron and Harry were playing, Minerva would often sit on the couch with Hermione and they would talk. Usually about books or what they were learning at the time, but sometimes Minerva would share stories about her own days at Hogwarts. Hermione loved to hear them- Professor McGonogall sounded so much like herself.

Two weeks had gone by and the Gryffindor common room appeared no where close to being restored. The Easter holidays were approaching and students were beginning to realize that final exams were not much longer. One morning as Minerva was getting ready, she heard Hermione jumping up and down in the bathroom. Concerned, Minerva opened the door to find Hermione in her pajamas, jumping up and down and watching herself in the mirror. Hermione was frowning and continued jumping, oblivious to Minerva entering. She realized that Hermione was watching her chest. Minerva grinned, remembering those days.

"Jumping up and down won't change anything my dear", she said. Hermione startled and turned around, blushing. "Don't worry," Minerva told her. "Hurry up and get dressed so you're not late to breakfast."

That evening, after they had all finished their work and the boys were in their room, Minerva knocked on Hermione's door. After those 2 weeks, all three children were quickly becoming like a family to Minerva and she felt as though she owed it to Hermione to speak to her about earlier.

"Come in," she heard Hermione say. Minevra entered and sat down on her bed, gatherin the courage to have this talk. "Hermione," Minerva began. "Has anyone spoken to you about the changes that are beginning to occur? After all, you are 12 going on 13 in September and from what I saw this morning, you looked upset about it." Hermione nodded, blushing, and sitting down next to Minerva. "Well, I haven't actually _spoken_ to anyone, but my mom gave me a book with everything I needed to know before I left for Hogwarts. "Hmph," Minverva sniffed. "And that seems to be working out quite well for you, isn't it, judging by all that jumping this morning?"

Hermione turned red. "It's just…it's one thing to read about it in a book, but quite another to see it actually happening". Minerva nodded. "When I was your age, my mother never shared what was about to happen either. I was surprised at first…to say the very least. Fortunately, my dorm mates explained everything to me."

"I'm not very close to my dorm mates," Hermione blushed. "The only people I ever really talk to are Ron, Harry, and now you, after living here…and I certainly can't talk to Ron and Harry about this" "Well," Minerva smiled at her, "then talk to me. I promise to be honest, and besides… out of the three people you listed, I'm the only one who can actually relate." Hermione smiled. While she would never have had the courage to go to Professor McGonogall herself about this, she was relieved she would finally get some answers about what was happening.

Two hours later, complete with mugs of hot chocolate they had paused halfway through to get, Hermione was feeling much more informed. "Professor?" Hermione asked. "What happens when I do begin my cycle…?" She blushed. "I mean, what if it happens in class and I have no where to go?" Minerva smiled. "Hermione, I think just between the two of us, you can call me Minerva. And as for where to go, that's easy. Simply come to me or let yourself into my rooms. You have the password now. I always keep supplies under the sink that you are welcome to use when your time comes." Hermione gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you….Minerva," she said, testing the name. It felt weird to say, but she was sure it would get easier over time. "I'm glad that I have someone like you to talk to." And Hermione realized she truly meant it. She couldn't imagine what she would have done had these changes continued and she couldn't speak to anyone. She also felt special. For the first time since she had come to Hogwarts, she finally felt like she had a mother figure that she could go to.


	4. Chapter 4

_All characters belong to J.K. Rowling_

"I'm telling you, he's gone mad!" Whispered Ron. The three young Gryffindors were sitting in the living room, enjoying the afternoon. Professor McGonogall was still downstairs in her classroom, so they had the suite all to themselves. They had just come from visiting Hagrid, who had just happened to have hatched a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon that he was now keeping for a pet.

"He told me when I first met him that he'd love to have a dragon…" muttered Harry. "I just didn't think he'd actually do it." "Doesn't he _realize_ his house is made of WOOD?!" Hermione half-whispered, half-shouted.

"I don't think he's realized anything beyond the fact that he's going to have a pet dragon," stated Harry calmly. "I think the only thing we can do right now is be there to help when he needs it." While initially reluctant, all three agreed that they would do whatever they could to help Hagrid and make sure he wasn't discovered.

Charlie, Ron's older brother, had written to them that afternoon saying that some of his friends would be able to help. If Ron, Harry, and Hermione could just make sure Norbert stayed a secret for a couple more nights, they could keep Hagrid out of trouble.

It was at that point that Minerva had returned. She had a long, tiresome day of 5th years learning how to complete vanishing spells, which had resulted in her having to locate different items that had suddenly "turned invisible". When she entered her quarters, she immediately saw her three charges clumped together whispering. They glanced up and immediately stop talking. Minerva knew that could only mean they were up to something mischievous, but she prayed that it was something minor. She decided the best course of action was feign ignorance and head to her room to shower as originally intended. Sometimes it was best not knowing when students were up to something- after all, that only meant more work for her too.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were too afraid to continue their conversation now that Minerva was within listening distance. They had learned from the first night that she had sensitive hearing, although they still did not know it was due to her being an animagus. Hermione chose to work on homework, while Ron and Harry played a game of Wizards chess. They agreed to visit Hagrid after dinner.

When Minerva emerged from her rooms, she saw that whatever the three Gryffindors had been planning had clearly ceased, which she was glad of. She would never admit it to anyone, but having these three staying with her had been something of an unforeseen blessing, giving her something to look forward too at the end of lessons. While she and Hermione had already grown quite close, she felt that she was growing bonds with Ron and Harry as well. The boys loved hearing about her days on the Gryffindor quidditch team, playing Chaser.

It had been an exhausting day, and she did not feel like going down to dinner. Just this once, she offered an exception. "Instead of heading down to the Great Hall tonight, why don't we have a family dinner in the kitchen tonight. I'll make some Shepherd's pie and you three can tell me about your day." Minerva smiled, but then saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchange a worried look.

Something was definitely planned, but before she could think further, Hermione quickly said "We would love to professor, except I think that Ron promised his brothers he would meet them for dinner. Would it be alright if it's just me and Harry tonight?" She smiled sweetly, and Minerva smiled back. Perhaps she was just being paranoid after dealing with 5th years all day long. After all, Ron wouldn't get into trouble on his own, unlike Fred and George. "Of course," she replied. "Go enjoy the Great Hall, Ron. I will see you tonight." Ron, looking a bit surprised, quickly jumped up, muttered thanks, and ran out before another thing else could be said.

Later that evening, Ron came back in and told Minerva he ate too much for dinner and needed to just lie down. One glance over at Harry and Hermione told them he needed to speak to them privately. "Is it okay if we go to mine and Ron's room professor?" Harry asked. "We've finished all our homework for the night, and we can make sure Ron gets all of his done as well." "And answer any questions he may have," chimed Hermione. Minerva nodded and gave them permission, continuing to mark 3rd year transfiguration essays.

"He bit me!" Whispered Ron as soon as Harry and Hermione shut the door. "That bloody dragon actually bit me! And what did Hagrid do!? He defended it, calling it a little baby and saying he didn't know any better!" Already, Ron's hand was beginning to swell. Harry and Hermione exchanged worried glances. They had been counting on Ron to help them carry Norbert up to the roof that Saturday.

By the next morning, however, there was no way Ron would be able to help. According to Harry at breakfast, his hand had swelled to twice his size over night. He pretended to be sick, keeping his hand under the covers so Minerva wouldn't see. Unfortunately though, Minerva demanded that if he were too sick to attend lessons then he needed to see Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing. Ron slowly made his way there, resigned to the fact that he did indeed need medical attention. His hand was continuing to swell, plus now it was turning green. On his way over, he rehearsed the story in his head. If anyone asked, he would tell them that a dog ran up to him on his way back from Hagrid's and bit him. This way Hagrid wouldn't get in trouble and he could claim not to know anything about it, since Ron would have been leaving.

As soon as Ron reached the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was all over him. She took one look at his hand and before Ron could even open his mouth and recite the story he had been practicing, she stopped him.

"Don't say anything Mr. Weasley, I don't want to know. Knowing means that I will have to report it to your head of house, especially since you are staying with her, and you and I both want to keep her out of whatever situation caused this," Madam Pomfrey gestured to his hand. "Now, lie down and try to relax. We have a long few nights ahead of us."

A couple of hours later, Ron woke to a most unflattering sight. Looming over him was none other than Draco Malfoy.

"So Weasley. Got yourself bitten by the dragon that oaf is hiding. I must say, even that is an improvement over how you looked before." Ron's face instantly turned red, but Malfoy, not caring, continued. "Your dumb friend Hagrid will be out on his arse by the end of next week, mark my word. When my father hears of this, not even Dumbledore will be able to back the stupid oaf."

By this point, Ron was just about ready to explode. It was lucky then, that at that moment, Madam Pomfrey came around the corner. "There now," she said, noticing Ron's face and Malfoy's smirk, "What's this all about?"

Malfoy quickly smiled at the nurse. "I'm sorry Madam Pomfrey," he said sweetly. "I came over because I had lent Ron my potion book, seeing as how his was all torn up, being second hand, and I needed it back temporarily to work on some homework."

Madam Pomfrey nodded approvingly and Ron was left no choice, but to play along and hand Malfoy his potions textbook. It wouldn't have been a big deal, had it not been for later that evening, when Harry and Hermione came to visit and he suddenly remembered the letter from Charlie that had been stuffed in the book. Upon hearing this, Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance. There was no changing the plan now. They would have to find a way together to make sure Norbert made it up to the astronomy tower. Each day they waited would be another day for Malfoy to get Hagrid fired.

Minerva knew at this point that Ron was being treated for some sort of bite, but she figured it was due to some venomous plant or a stray animal. She never assumed anything such as a dragon. That Saturday evening after dinner, Harry, Hermione, and Minerva sat in the living room. Harry and Minerva were playing chess and Hermione was curled up on the couch reading a book…or at least pretending to. In truth, she was going through the plan again. She had sneaked a peak at Minerva's planner while she was making tea in the kitchen and saw that she was on night duty. That meant that she and Harry could sneak out while Professor McGonogall was making the rounds. When she came back, she would assume that they were both asleep and go to sleep herself. Then she and Harry could sneak back in and nobody would be the wiser.

Sure enough, Minerva left at exactly 10 PM, with Harry and Hermione bidding her goodnight, pretending to head to their rooms to go to sleep. After giving her a 15 minute head start, they met back in the living room with Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Here goes nothing," Harry murmured. They threw the invisibility cloak over themselves and made their way down to Hagrid's. They had almost made it to the front door when they saw a shadow and heard Minerva's voice. They quickly backed up against the wall. Despite having the invisibility cloak, they felt like she would see them and their plan would be ruined.

"Nothing," they heard Minerva say loudly, "I repeat nothing! Gives a student the right to be out of bed! 20 points will be taken from Slytherin and you will be serving detention!"

"But Professor," Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, fear stricken. That was Malfoy's voice. "You don't understand! Harry Potter is sneaking around here with a dragon! He's helping it escape!" Minerva scoffed.

"You seem to forget, Mr. Malfoy. Both Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley are currently staying with me while Gryffindor tower is being fixed, and I can assure you that neither of them are anywhere, but their bedrooms. And as far as a dragon goes," she began, suddenly stopping to think. She remembered the three of them huddled together earlier that week and it all seemed to make sense now. They had been planning to trick Malfoy and it worked. "I can assure you that there isn't one. This appears to be the result of a prank and you involved yourself unnecessarily. Had you kept your nose out of this false rumor, we would not be dealing with this situation. As I said before, _nothing_ , gives students the right to be out of bed! Let's hear what your head of house has to say about this."

Once they were sure Professor McGonogall and Malfoy were well on their way to the dungeon, they made their way outside. Once they were outside, Hermione threw off the invisibility cloak, a huge grin on her face. "Malfoy got detention! Harry, I could sing!" Harry too, was pretty giddy. Not only were they going to get Norbert out, but Malfoy had finally gotten what he deserved.

When Harry and Hermione got to Hagrid's, however, their grins faded and they were reminded of the difficult task that now laid before them. Once Hagrid had finally finished saying his goodbyes, Harry and Hermione each grabbed a side of Norbert's crate and began carrying it up to the tallest tower in Hogwarts.

Several times Harry or Hermione had to tell the other one to pause while they set Norbert down to regain their breath. It wasn't until they were halfway up when Hermione suddenly had the idea to levitate Norbert's cage using _wingardium leviosa_. After that their task became much easier. They just had to make sure to avoid any shadows and keep Norbert quiet. They made it to the top of the astronomy tower and within minutes they could see the outline of people on their brooms, coming towards them to pick up Norbert.

After successfully getting Norbert hooked up to the brooms and talking a bit with the older wizards, Harry and Hermione made their way back down. Both were grinning- their plan had been successful. And to top it all off, Malfoy had detention! It wasn't until they made it to the bottom of the astronomy tower that they froze, face to face with Filch. "Well, well. We _are_ in trouble, aren't we." Harry and Hermione exchanged petrified glances- they had left the invisibility cloak at the top of the tower!


	5. Chapter 5

Harry and Hermione silently followed Filch down to Minerva's quarters. When they were almost there, however, they saw her turning the corner, with none other than Neville. Minerva stopped, in shock at seeing her charges out with Filch. Harry and Hermione were in shock that Neville had been caught sneaking out of bed as well. "Harry!" Neville shouted. "I came to try to warn you…Malfoy said you had a dragon and…"

"That's enough, Mr. Longbottom!" Minerva snapped. "There is no dragon. This was just part of a prank that Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger pulled on Mr. Malfoy and you seem to have gotten caught up in it to." Harry, upon seeing such a hurt look on Neville's face, wanted to run over and tell him the truth, but that would only mean getting Hagrid in trouble.

"50 points will be taken from Gryffindor." "50!?" Harry gasped. "Each" Minerva added, glaring at him to continue defying her. Harry quickly shut up and looked down. Minerva finally stopped pacing and walked Neville back to Professor Sprout's quarters. She instructed Harry and Hermione to wait for her in their quarters.

"I have NEVER been more disappointed!" Minerva shouted, pacing back and forth. Both Harry and Hermione sat on the couch, heads down, disappointed in themselves for letting down Minerva. "Not only did you disobey the rules, but you lied to me! You snuck out and you tricked me! Putting your safety at risk, and all for a prank!" She saw Harry look down, not saying a word. Finally, Minerva sat down in the arm chair across from them, putting her forehead in her hands, thinking. Harry and Hermione dared not move during that time. Finally, she looked up. "You are both grounded." "Grounded!?" they gasped, in unison. "Yes, grounded. You will go to class and that's it. No, Harry. You will not be able to go to quidditch. The only time you will be allowed to leave the quarters is to serve your detention. That is final." She knew that they both understood the significance of their actions since not even Harry tried to argue his quidditch probation. "Let's go to sleep. Your grounding starts now. You will meet me at 7:30 and I will walk down with you both to the great hall." Sadly and silently, Harry and Hermione walked to their respective rooms with Minerva following.

The next morning was a somber affair. Both Harry and Hermione waited for Minerva to meet them in the kitchen area, then followed her silently to the Great Hall. Word seemed to have travelled about the point loss overnight because when they got to the tables, nobody was speaking to them. After breakfast, Minerva walked over to the Gryffindor table and had Harry and Hermione follow her back to their quarters, where they each sat on the couch. Hermione, working on homework, Harry, reading a quidditch book. Minerva began preparing a pot of tea and sat in the kitchen, grading. Soon they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Minerva walked briskly and opened it, revealing none other than Hagrid.

"Mornin' Professor McGonogall," Hagrid began. Harry and Hermione looked up, shock written over both their faces. "I'm sorry ter bother you this mornin', but I was wonderin' if I could talk to you. Ron, Harry, and Hermione…they weren't lyin' see…and I was hopin' to explain it all to you." That certainly caught Minerva's attention. She invited Hagrid in and sent both Harry and Hermione to their rooms, setting a spell so they could not eavesdrop.

After about 20 minutes, Minerva sat back. Hagrid had explained it all to her and she had a lot to think about. Now she understood why Harry and Hermione had done what they had. She agreed to let Hagrid supervise the detention, but decided that the points would remain removed. Nothing would change the fact that they lied and broke curfew, even though now she understood why.

When Hagrid had left, Minerva broke the barrier and called Harry and Hermione out of their rooms. They came out quietly, curious as to how she would react now that she knew the truth. When they got to the living room, she motioned to them to sit down.

"Have I ever told you about when I was a third year at Hogwarts?" Minerva asked, of course knowing that the answer was no. When both of them shook their heads, she continued.

"Pomona, that's Professor Sprout to you, and I had gone to the kitchen one night to get a snack after studying in the library. Afterwards, while we were walking back to our respective common rooms, we heard a noise. We decided to investigate and it turned out to be an injured kitten. Professor Sprout went back to the kitchen to get bandaids and hot water, while I stayed with it and held it. She returned and we were able to splint it up and we begin nursing it. At that point, curfew had already gone into effect and we were both out of bed. Professor Sprout snuck back to Hufflepuff while I snuck back to Gryffindor with the kitten. It was during that time, however, that I was caught by _my_ transfiguration professor, Professor Dumbledore."

She saw a surprised face on Hermione and an amused face on Harry. She continued.

"I will admit that he did not yell at me the same way I yelled at you, but he did take off several points. Upon hearing Hagrid's story, I am inclined to believe that what he was saying was true. As a result, the grounding will be removed. The point loss remains though and you will be expected to serve detention. While I do understand your intentions, it does not change the fact that you lied to me and snuck out. I hope you understand the position I am in"

"We do," Hermione jumped in. "We understand, and we are sorry Professor. We promise, it will never happen again. "Truly, Professor," Harry added. "We _never_ meant to abuse your trust. I hope we can make it up to you." Minerva smiled. "At times like these," she said with a small smile on her face, "when it's just us in the quarters, you may call me Minerva." Both Gryffindors smiled at her. She had already told Hermione to call her Minerva, but she was extending it to Harry as well.

After that, an understanding in place, they continued their activities in the living room, but this time, there was no awkward silence or anger. It felt like a normal Sunday. And Harry and Hermione truly felt as though they had gained a mother figure at Hogwarts. After all, she had even grounded them, albeit for a short while, for getting into trouble.

After a few hours, Harry had a brilliant idea.

"Professor…I mean, Minerva, would it be alright if we ate as a family tonight? Ron is supposed to be released this afternoon and Hermione and I could cook dinner for you. We'd like to do something to make it up to you" Hermione gave him a surprised look, but did not say anything. She thought it sounded like a great idea. Minerva too looked surprised, but suddenly she smiled. "Yes, Harry. I would like that very much."

"Great!" Harry said, beginning to think of what he could make. What nobody knew was that he was actually a fairly decent cook, having to help out in the kitchen with Aunt Petunia several times.

That afternoon Harry and Hermione were sitting at the kitchen table trying to decide what to cook when they were suddenly interrupted with the door flying open and Ron running straight to them, past Minerva. "Is it true?!" He asked quickly. "Did you really get caught and lose Gryffindor 100 points? Not to mention Neville and Malfoy…"

"Ahem" Ron immediately spun around and got quiet upon seeing Minerva walking over to him from the couch. His ears quickly turned bright red. "I would caution you, Ronald, to always double check your surroundings before saying something you might regret. That being said, I happen to know about the dragon…Norbert, I believe Hagrid said. Your friends can fill you in, but let me tell you that if I ever hear of another stunt like this again, more than just 50 points will be taken away for all those involved." "Yes, Professor" Ron muttered. Minerva smiled, "I also told Harry and Hermione to call me Minerva when we are in here. You may do the same." Ron looked even more surprised, if possible, but grateful that he wasn't in any sort of trouble it seemed. Minerva seemed to read his mind. "I think your hand being swollen was punishment enough. Especially now that I know where that bite really came from." Ron grinned sheepishly. "Thank you, Professor….I mean…Minerva…"

They had decided to prepare bangers and mash with a berry trifle for dessert. Both were easy to prepare and the trifle didn't even require any cooking. Minerva was given instructions that she wasn't allowed in the kitchen, but she kept an eye on them from the living room, where she began marking the 7th year essays.

As she was grading, she heard Hermione ask "Where did you learn to cook like this, Harry?" At first there was no response, then Minerva heard Harry say quietly, "I had to earn my keep with my Aunt and Uncle. One of the things they made me do a lot of was cooking. If I messed up then my Uncle would lock me in my cupboard without food, so I had to get good quickly." Minerva was shocked. Fortunately, Hermione asked the question Minerva was thinking. "Your _cupboard?!_ Harry, why did they lock you in a cupboard?!" Again, Harry said quietly "It was my room. They didn't let me have a real room of my own until after I got my Hogwarts letter…and that was just because the letters were addressed to my cupboard, so they figured moving me to a room would shake them off."

It was quiet for a good minute. Minerva didn't know what to say. Clearly she wasn't meant to hear all of that, but she was glad she did.

"Blimey," she heard Ron finally say. "Those muggles sound like the worst possible sort. You're definitely coming to stay with me this summer." "Yes, Harry." Hermione chimed in. "That sounds awful. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that growing up. At least here you don't have to worry about them…" "Yea," Harry said, grateful. He had 2 of the best friends in the world, not to mention, Minerva was becoming like a family figure to her as well. He actually really enjoyed the living situation they were in and was in no rush to move back to the Gryffindor towers.

Minerva sat on the couch, transfiguration essays forgotten. She vowed she would do whatever she could to make Harry feel like he had family here. And she would certainly be having a word with Albus that evening after dinner. They were scheduled to meet anyways to go over the reports and finances for Hogwarts.


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner turned out wonderfully. Minerva really was impressed with their cooking skills and touched that they had gone through the trouble to make things right with her. Then she was reminded of the conversation she heard earlier and how Harry had come to learn how to cook. After dinner, Minerva excused herself, promising to help clean up if need be, and made her way up to the headmaster's office.

Upon entering, she saw Albus was already waiting for her arrival.

"Ah Minerva. Welcome. You've had quite a week. Can I interest you in a lemon drop?"

Minerva rolled her eyes. Sometimes she convinced herself he did that just to annoy her. "No thank you Albus. Let's get on with going through the paperwork and this upcoming month's budget."

"Of course, of course. But first, Minerva, how are you doing? I really am concerned after the events I heard take place this week. I know it couldn't have been easy on you, seeing as how 2 of the students involved are under your care." Minerva smiled, touched at his concern and at how well he knew her.

"Thank you Albus. It was difficult, but I recently had a talk with all three of my charges and I am sure it won't happen again." She decided to leave out the part about the truth with Norbert. Like Ron, Harry, and Hermione, she believed that was Hagrid's decision to tell Dumbledore. "They cooked me dinner to make up for things. Actually, Harry ended up confiding where he learned to cook."

After that, the whole tale about Harry's home life came spilling out of Minerva's mouth and by the end, she was embarrassed to find herself crying.

"We should have known. I sat there in my animagus form all day and watched them. They were the worst sort of muggles. I knew that and I said that. But you still left him there. Why Albus? After hearing what he's gone through, it's time you told the truth. How could you subject Harry to that?"

Albus looked a little taken aback. He always knew this day would come, where someone would question why he chose to place Harry with the Dursley's. Minerva could be trusted with the secret.

"When Lily Potter sacrificed herself for Harry, a bond was formed. This magic is what saved Harry from Voldermort and what continues to keep himself outside of Hogwarts. Lily's blood flows through Petunia Dursley's veins. As long as Harry continues to live with the Dursley's, even just once a month, the bond is renewed and Harry remains protected."

Minerva sat there quietly, taking it all in. Suddenly, everything made sense. She even understood Albus's need for secrecy. Why nobody else knew where Harry lived. Why the Dursley's didn't just put him up for adoption when they found him, 10 years ago.

Albus stood up. "It's getting late. I know you've had a difficult week and this is quite a lot to take in and try to understand. We can do the paperwork and the finances another time. Please allow me to walk you to your room, Minerva."

Minerva stood up too. "Thank you, Albus." Slowly they walked through the halls, making their way back to Minerva's room. It was one of those walks where neither of them felt they needed to say anything. They were comfortable just enjoying the other's presence.

When they got to the portrait of the lion surrounded by the forest, they stopped and turned to each other. "Good Night, Minerva" Albus said. "Wait," Minerva heard herself say, a little surprised. Without even thinking, she grabbed both his hands and began leaning in. Albus, mimicking her, leaned in as well until their lips met. Slowly, they began kissing. Minerva silently checked the _stasis_ charm she had cast earlier, allowing her to see where Ron, Harry, and Hermione were at that moment. She saw that they were all in their respective rooms, so slowly, she broke away from the kisses, and muttered the password. Once the door was open, the kissing continued as they slowly and quietly made their way to her bedroom.

Upon reaching her room, Minerva closed the door behind them and cast a _silencio_ charm. Both of them looked at each other, as if asking if the other was sure. No words were spoken, as they finally came together again, this time with more fervent kisses. Albus began unbuttoning her robes and had just slipped them off when they heard a knock on the bathroom door, quickly followed by Hermione walking through.

Minerva quickly jumped back from Albus and Hermione's eyes widened, realizing what she had interrupted. Albus appeared to be the only calm one and simply stepped around Minerva, a twinkle in his eye. He still had his robes on, even though several buttons were undone and his hair disheveled.

"Ahem. Good evening Ms. Granger," Albus said, noticing Minerva turn a bright red, quite similar to the Weasley's hair color actually. Knowing Minerva, he figured he would excuse himself as quickly as possible. The longer he stayed, the more embarrassed she would get.

"Well, this is certainly an interesting situation", he said, hoping that Minerva could at least find a little humor in this later on. "I believe it's best if I let myself out and leave you two ladies to talk. Minerva, we will meet up another time to go over the budget. Um…Good night Ms. Granger"

"Good night, Headmaster," Hermione muttered. With a small smile on his lips, Albus let himself out and headed back to his office.

As soon as the door was once again closed, Hermione turned to Minerva and without even thinking, blurted out "THAT'S WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR BUDGET MEETING!?" Minerva was grateful that the silencing charm was still up so the boys wouldn't hear, although next time she'd have to remember to use a locking charm as well. Minerva blushed, wondering if there would be a next time, then remembered she was still without a robe. Quickly she grabbed her nighttime robe and threw it on her. Then she sat down on her bed, gesturing for Hermione to sit on the other side.

She decided the best thing she could do was be honest.

"This was the first time that has ever happened, Hermione. I truthfully don't know what came over either of us. It's just been such a stressful week and Professor Dumbledore was there, and he was so understanding, and then…we just ended up kissing."

Hermione looked up and blushed. She felt awful that she had interrupted them and wasn't quite sure how to respond. She couldn't sleep, thinking about the situation with Harry and the Dursley's. When she had heard Minerva come in and close her bedroom door, she had assumed, of course, that she had been alone, and was just preparing for bed like she normally did. Hermione explained as much and Minerva promised her it was okay.

"Who knows," Minerva mused, not realizing who she was talking to. "Maybe it was a good thing you came in when you did. If you hadn't come in, who knows how far it would have gone…I certainly wasn't thinking straight" Minerva stopped, realizing she was confessing everything to Hermione.

Hermione blushed. She knew Minerva was talking about sex, and decided to get up the courage to ask one of the questions she had read about in the book her mother had gotten her.

"Does it hurt? ….that first time, I mean?" Hermione asked, looking up at Minerva. Minerva looked thoughtful and then smiled as she answered Hermione's question. "It does…but if you're with someone who loves you and is gentle with you, then the pain is not so bad. Plus, after that, it will never hurt again." Hermione was grossed out. To her, she couldn't even imagine kissing a boy, let alone doing something else. Still, she wanted to hear more about her mentor's life.

"How old were you?" She asked.

"I was 18. It was the summer after I had graduated from Hogwarts. My mother," Minerva explained to Hermione "was a witch, but my Dad was a muggle and we lived in a small muggle town off of Caithness. The summer after I graduated from Hogwarts, I was staying with them. I wouldn't begin my internship at the ministry of magic until the end of August. It was when I was walking through the market place that I saw Dougal McGregor. He was a farmer, planning to take over for his father in a few years time." 

Hermione smiled, making herself comfortable on the bed. Even though she wasn't interested in boys, she loved hearing about Minerva's stories growing up. She hoped this would be a romantic story.

"Dougal had asked me out a couple weeks after I had been in town. My parents encouraged me to go, saying that it would be good for me. So I went. He ended up taking me on a wonderful picnic on a ploughed field and after that date, I saw myself possibly marrying him. He continued to date me and we spent as much time together as possible. One night, towards the end of the summer, he took me on a candlelight picnic. Afterwards, we decided just to lie there and watch the stars. It felt…magical. And when he leaned over and kissed me, something inside me just knew that this time would be different. And I was alright with that. It wasn't wonderful, or amazing, but it was special."

Minerva glanced over to Hermione, who was struggling to stay awake, but clearly fighting to hear the rest of the story, so Minerva continued, hoping it could serve as a sort of bed time story.

"Afterwards, while we were lying there, Dougal stood up to get something. When I looked back, he was on one knee, holding a ring out. Of course, I said yes. The next morning though, as I watched my mother go about her daily chores, avoiding the use of magic at all costs for my father, I realized that if I married Dougal I would live the same life. I couldn't give up magic. So I packed up my things and met Dougal to hand him his ring back. I never told him the true reason. Three years later, after I had begun teaching at Hogwarts, my mother sent me a notice that Dougal had married my childhood friend, Katherine. They had three children and lived happily, last I heard. And I met my future husband later on. We both ended up living happily." Minerva felt sad, thinking back to the notification she received about 12 years ago that the family had been killed in a death eater attack. She would not mention that part to Hermione.

When Minerva looked down at Hermione again, she saw that she was asleep. Smiling slightly, she levitated Hermione back to her rooms and tucked her in, placing a small kiss on her forehead as she turned to leave. Minerva realized she could never go back to how it used to be. Somehow, these three young Gryffindors had become her family and she was okay with that.

She turned and checked on the boys, smiling sweetly as she saw them both asleep. Harry had left the lamp on while he was reading. Minerva bent over to turn it off, kissing both of them on the forehead as well, and then made her way back to her room to shower and get ready for bed, thinking about how it would be with Albus the next morning.


	7. Chapter 7

As it turns out, the next morning was just like any other morning. Albus greeted her like any other member of the staff and for that, Minerva was actually quite grateful. She had stayed awake almost all night thinking about it, and after weighing the pros and the cons, she had ultimately decided that she was not interested in being in a relationship at the moment. Somehow, Ron, Harry, and Hermione had become her main focus. She wanted to savor every moment she could with them. They truly had become her family. She watched as Harry and Hermione received their owls. They had already been told, discreetly, that they would be serving detention with Hagrid. This was more of a reminder so they knew what time to meet Mr. Filch, who insisted on escorting them.

That morning, she was teaching the first year transfiguration class with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Ron, Harry, and Hermione filed in with the rest of the students, each muttering "Good morning Professor McGonogall," and taking their usual seats. The trio's level of professionalism continued to impress her. They had become experts at keeping their home life separate from their school life and treated Professor McGonogall just like any other professor while in class.

As she was teaching that morning, she noticed Ron doodling around his parchment and nodding off. She wasn't sure what came over her, but she immediately snapped. "Mr. Weasley!" Ron sat up immediately.

"Please demonstrate the proper wand movements that I just showed the class," Minerva demanded, knowing that Ron would have no idea seeing as how he had not paying attention. Sure enough, Ron's ears turned red, and he muttered "I don't know…" At this point, Minerva wasn't sure what was causing it, but she felt a mixture of several things swelling up inside of her at once. Disappointment, embarrassment, and frustration were the first few that came to mind, although there were several other things as well. Before she could calm herself down, she snapped.

"20 points from Gryffindor."

Several students gasped. They had never seen Professor McGonogall take away that many points for simply not knowing the answer! Now, in addition to his ears, Ron's entire face turned bright red, and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, he shouted.

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS PICKING ON ME!? YOU KNEW THAT I WOULDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER! WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE ASKED HERMIONE!?"

Minerva was completely thrown off and almost shouted right back at him, before a small voice in her head told her to breathe. In that breath, she realized what she had done. Ron was right. Somehow, she had set almost unrealistic, hard to obtain, expectations on all _three_ of her wards. She would never have done that to another student and she had never had those expectations _before_ they started to live with her.

Aware that the whole class was watching to see how she would react, she decided the best course of action was to defer. "Please stay after class Mr. Weasley. Now, Mr. Boot, do you remember the incantation we were discussing earlier?" And with that, the class continued.

Ron stared at his parchment angrily the rest of the time, while Harry and Hermione muttered sympathetic words of encouragement, trying to help him along so he wouldn't fall behind.

After class, Harry and Hermione gave Ron sympathetic smiles as they headed towards the exit. Ron stayed behind, fuming, and Minerva braced herself for the encounter that was about to occur. Ron slowly walked over to her desk, refusing to look up or make eye contact.

"Ronald…" Minerva began. Ron took a deep breath, bracing himself for the punishment that was about to come.

"I'm sorry."

Ron looked up, surprised. He was expecting to get yelled at for being disobedient and disrespectful. Instead, _she_ was apologizing. Minerva continued, "I realized that I am holding you, Harry, and Hermione to a higher standard then everyone else. I guess I was afraid that people would think I was favoring you three if I weren't harder on you all. I don't expect the other students to watch my every move and listen to my every incantation. I know it isn't fair, and for that, I ask for your forgiveness."

Ron, still surprised that she wasn't screaming at him for his outburst, simply nodded. He wasn't sure how else to respond. He understood where she was coming from though. Just that week, Fred and George were teasing him for being a teacher's pet, saying that he'd get an easy A in transfiguration now that he was living with McGonogall. Minerva sighed, figuring she wouldn't get much more of a response from him at the moment. "Very well," she said. "Off to your next class so you're not late." And with that, Ron turned away and Minerva settled down to teach the 3rd years.

That night after dinner, Ron and Minerva sat silently in the living room, Minerva grading and Ron working on homework. Harry and Hermione had left immediately following dinner for detention with Hagrid that night. As Minerva watched Ron mutter to himself and scratch out a sentence he had just written, she smiled. She had to admit that since coming to live with her, both Ron and Harry's study habits had improved tremendously. Without saying anything, she silently headed to the kitchen and began preparing two cups of tea. When they were ready, she brought one of the cups over to Ron.

"I think that with Harry and Hermione out, doing god knows what with Hagrid, you and I deserve a break from working. How would you like to play a game of chess?"

Ron grinned. "That would be brilliant, professor." Ron still struggled with calling Minerva by her first name, even though she had told him countless times at that point.

"Very well. Go and get your pieces. I will give you 10 minutes to strategize and set up your side of the board."

About 2 hours later, Ron and Minerva were still in the middle of their chest battle. Minerva had known that he was a talented player, but she had never known that he had _that_ much talent. He was even better than Albus! Thinking of Albus made her frown and focus back in on the game. She was using every last bit of energy trying _not_ to think about him…which of course, only made her think about him more. It was a never ending cycle. Determined to bring her attention back on the present, she turned to Ron.

"Where on earth did you learn to become such a talented chess player Ronald?"

Ron blushed. He wasn't used to being complimented. "When you grow up with 5 older brothers, you have to find something to be good at. When I was younger, Bill would come home from Hogwarts and teach me how to play. Sometimes Percy would join us, but for the most part, it was just me and Bill. He taught me everything I knew and I guess it just came easy for me." Ron made his next move.

Minerva stared at the board, reflecting on what Ron had said. She had never really appreciated how difficult it must have been to grow up in the shadow of 5 older brothers. She had watched each of the Weasley boys grow up and realized the same thing that Ron had probably already realized. There was nothing else for Ron to achieve at Hogwarts. Bill had been prefect and Head Boy, Charlie had become quidditch captain and was the last known captain to bring home the quidditch cup trophy for Gryffindor. On top of all of that, Ron had become best friends with the Boy Who Lived, forcing him to follow in Harry's shadow.

'Poor Ron,' Minerva thought silently. She had been so focused on making sure Harry and Hermione had gotten the attention they craved, she never stopped to think about how Ronald might be in a similar boat as them. Granted, Molly Weasley was a fantastic mother and would never neglect any of her children, but all the same, it could never be easy growing up in the shadows of so many people around you. The only way to set his name apart from his brothers would be if he performed some sort of heroic act to save Hogwarts and that was unlikely, seeing as how the school was perfectly safe. While Minerva was sure her three children did not know it, deep within the grounds of Hogwarts she and the other professors had set up spells and enchantments to protect the Sorcerer's stone. Albus had just recently finished his enchantment and assured the staff that it was one of his more brilliant creations, though nobody actually knew what it was. Thinking about Albus again made her sigh internally. That blasted man was stuck in her head.

"What about you…Minerva?," Ron asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. "Where did you learn to play chess?"

Minerva smiled. He was finally feeling comfortable enough to start calling her Minerva.

"For me, it was my father who taught me. I grew up in the highlands, in a small town called Caithness. He was the minister of a small Presbyterian church there."

"Wait," Ron interrupted. "You're muggle born?! I had no idea." Minerva smiled. "Actually, I'm a half blood. My mother was a witch, but she gave up her magic to be with my father. That's a different story for a different time though," she winked. "Going back to my chess story. I grew up with 2 younger brothers. My father was a wonderful man, but I knew he struggled to accept the magic that surrounded the three of us. In an effort to bond with him, I began learning how to play chess. It was something that we could do together, just the two of us. Neither of my brothers had enough patience. In a way, I guess, it is similar to your story."

"Yea," Ron smiled. "I guess so. And who knows….maybe one day I'll be good enough to beat you."

"Perhaps," Minerva smiled back. "But today is not that day. Checkmate." Ron stopped. He hadn't even seen that coming. Minerva glanced at the clock and realized that it was already after eleven. Where were Harry and Hermione? They should have been back an hour ago.

Before she could say or do anything, the portrait door swung open and Harry and Hermione came in panting.

"Where on earth have you been?" Minerva asked, panic rising in her chest upon seeing their pale faces. Hermione began. "We've been in the forest. You'll never believe it…"

"Draco tricked Neville and then Fang ran off so we had to go search for him before Hagrid could bring us back. We're sorry it took so long." Harry finished. Hermione, frowned, simply nodding. Ron could tell that this wasn't actually the case, but apparently whatever had happened, they did not want Minerva to know about it.

Fortunately, Minerva believed them and gave them a small smile. "I'm just glad that you're both safe. It's late and even though tomorrow is Saturday, we'd all best get to bed now."

The trio exchanged glances, an unspoken agreement passed amongst them, and then nodded to Minerva. It was Harry who first initiated it. He engulfed Minerva in a giant hug and told her good night. Hermione did the same, followed by Ron, who felt much closer to Minerva after their chess game that evening.

Hermione beat Minerva to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Afterwards, when she heard Minerva in the bathroom getting ready for bed, Hermione tiptoed across the hall to the boys room and closed the door behind her. Ron and Harry were waiting for her. "Alright," Harry began. "There's no way to hide it. Snape is helping Voldermort go after the sorcerer's stone. That was definitely him we saw in the forest. It's time we come up with a plan."


End file.
